“Alright…even though I won’t be in the mood for talking.” We approached the hired SUV waiting for us. Our suitcases were already stuffed in the back, and we were ready for our week-long vacation in the Maldives.
“Should we change first?”
“We can change on the plane.”
“That’s gonna be hard with those little bathrooms.”
“My bathrooms aren’t little.”
She stared at me with an eyebrow raised. “Your bathrooms?”
“I have my own plane. I never mentioned that?”
“Uh, no.”
“Well, I guess you know now.” I opened the back door for her.
“I’ve never been on a private plane.”
“First time for everything.”
She scooted into the back seat, and I sat beside her.
The driver pulled away and circled the roundabout as he headed for the main road.
Arwen sat in the middle of the back seat and tucked her arm through mine. She leaned toward me and rested her head on my shoulder, her white dress taking up most of the back of the vehicle. Her brilliant wedding ring reflected the winter sun, and she got some of her foundation on the material of my suit.
I turned my head toward her and pressed a kiss to her forehead as we drove away.
“You’re the best husband anyone could ask for,” she whispered, her fingers squeezing my arm through my sleeve.
I kissed her forehead again, my hand moving to her thigh. “You made me the best husband anyone could ask for…which makes you the best wife.”
Epilogue
Arwen
Even though the private island in the Maldives was beautiful, with gorgeous beaches, nice restaurants, and a walking path that displayed beautiful views all around us, we stayed in our private bungalow and hardly ever left.
It was all about making love and ordering room service.
That was fine with me.
We had a secluded deck directly over the water with our own pool. When we weren’t between the sheets, we were lounging in the sun with drinks in our hands, watching the sunset every night without a care in the world.
“It’s beautiful here.” I stood at the edge of the pool and looked over the side so I could see the ocean water below. It was shallow, full of small sharks, stingrays, and little fish. “What if we never go home and just stay here forever?”
He came to my side with a drink in his hand, standing in his swim trunks with a muscled chest. “We could.”
“It is really cold back at home…”
“Another good point.”
“Abigail can take a vacation.”
“Nah. She’ll be cleaning that house nonstop anyway. She’s a hard worker. That’s why I let her mouth off to me sometimes.”
I chuckled. “You let her mouth off because you know she’s right.”
He shrugged. “Maybe.”
I set my drink down and sat on the edge of the pool. The water ran a little warm from being exposed to the sun all day, so it felt like bathwater. With the sun setting over the horizon, a cool breeze came across the ocean and brushed through my hair. It was such a relief to feel the humidity stick to my skin and make it shine. I preferred summer over winter in any contest.
He came to my side and joined me. “So, what did he say?”
“You’re on your honeymoon, but you’re thinking about your father?”
“I’m just curious. I’ve never seen him embrace someone like that.”
When Caspian hugged me but only shook his son’s hand, I was just as perplexed. This man threatened to kill me on several occasions, so it was unbelievable that we’d ever buried the hatchet. But somehow, we did. He was a bitter and mean man, and what he needed was compassion and kindness. It was the perfect antidote to most problems. “Alright, you really want to know?”
“Yes.”
“He said I was part of the family now, which means he’d do anything for me at any time. He said I was a daughter to him…and that his wife would have loved me.”
Maverick stared at me for a while, at a loss for words. “Yes, she would have…”
“I know it’s hard to see right now, but your father is a good man. It’s just taking him some time to get there. I was patient with you, so you should be patient with him.”
Maverick was quiet once again, processing all of his emotions. “That was a nice thing he said to you.”
“Yeah…he does have a heart under all that bullshit,” I said with a chuckle. “Just like his son.”
“Yes, we’re two sensitive assholes.” A slight smile formed on his lips. “I hated my father because of his behavior, but I never realized we were exactly the same. Everything that I am…comes from him.”
“I don’t know about that, but I see what you mean.”
His arm draped over my shoulders, and he brought me close to him as we both looked at the dying light on the horizon. “So…how many kids do you want?”
“I thought we weren’t starting a family for a couple years.”